Reality trucking shows: Truckers ask, "Where's the reality?" - TheTrucker.com - America's Trucking Newspaper Reality trucking shows: Truckers ask, "Where's the reality?" Reality trucking shows: Truckers ask, "Where's the reality?" Wednesday, May 29, 2013 by Aprille Hanson Lisa Kelly, a star in the History Channel series "Ice Road Truckers," speaks at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., this spring. Editor's note: This article was first published in the May 15-31 issue of The Trucker newspaper. While television audiences might be entertained by the extreme antics of the men on “Big Rig Bounty Hunters” or by the hair-raising, treacherous situations the drivers on “Ice Road Truckers” face, most average truck drivers agree that that is all the trucking shows on television truly are – entertainment. “I don't like any of the shows,” John Fahrion said on The Trucker Facebook page. “They attempt to paint a picture of the stereotypical trucker. The shows make the truckers look like buffoons.

How can we get any respect from the general public when they think this is how we really act?” Several truckers responded to The Trucker Facebook page post asking if trucking television shows are an accurate portrayal of the industry. Most gave a resounding “No,” that life on the road isn’t what’s considered reality on the small screen. “I've been trucking 25 years and I can't sit through any of the reality trucking shows,” John Highley commented. “Other than having trucks in them, they don't have much of anything that resembles real trucking.” The inaccuracies about the trucking industry being played out for the world can lead some unsuspecting viewers to bite off a bigger career than they can chew. “Had a trainee once who thought it'd be cool to drive just like in the movie, ‘Black Dog.’ He quit pretty quick once reality set in,” Robert Cooper posted. “Slinging chains on a steel load in -20-degree Fahrenheit weather just off Lake Huron apparently wasn't in the movie. …” While most truckers agree that negative stereotypes are continuing to be enforced by the shows, Charlotte Ground said they’re at least shining a much-needed light on the industry.

“Trucking is one of the hardest jobs and least respected not only by receivers but employers,” Ground said. “I like the shows because it’s helping increase respect for truckers but it doesn’t even touch the surface on the difficulties and hardships faced.” Jeff Tingle posted that television is finally portraying truckers as “decent human beings,” even with some of the crazy characters thrown in. “Hopefully these shows will get those not in our industry to understand our challenges. We need all the help we can get to rid the public of all the old stereotypes,” Tingle said. “As diverse as trucking is, I'd say that pretty much everything I've seen is accurate, even if it doesn't represent my style or kind of trucking.” Here’s a breakdown of some of the top trucking shows and truckers views on them: BIG RIG BOUNTY HUNTERS Premiered: February 2013 AIRS: Thursdays, 8 p.m. / 7 p.m.

Central; full episodes online at history.com Synopsis: History’s most recent trucking show, “Big Rig Bounty Hunters,” follows four different groups of men – and one “Lone Wolf” as he’s called – who find tractor-trailers that have been abandoned or stolen to either retrieve the goods or get them to their proper destination on-time. On History’s website the show is explained: “In Big Rig Bounty Hunters, History tracks five groups of colorful characters along a perilous competition to retrieve the missing loads while facing a ticking clock and life-threatening duty. A day in the life of a truck hunter is never easy, but the dollar signs keep these truckers hunting.” The “colorful characters” are the vets, desert dogs, the lone wolf, Jersey boys, Texans and ex-cons. With bad grammar and bad teeth prevalent, the truck hunters may be entertaining, but also feed into unpleasant trucker stereotypes, according to drivers on The Trucker Facebook page. “‘Big Rig Bounty Hunters’ is so fake,” Bruce Shealy posted. “Pathetic show, watched [it] once and it lowered my IQ 25 points just by tuning in.” However, some, like J.D.

Hanadarko, said “the two guys on ‘Big Rig Bounty’ without teeth are hysterical,” referring to the vets. “It’s all 'made for TV' and not 100 percent factual but I still find it entertaining to watch,” Hanadarko posted. ICE ROAD TRUCKERS Premiered: June 2007 AIRS: Reruns on History Channel; full episodes online at history.com Synopsis: The sixth season of “Ice Road Truckers” showed the trucking cast battling icy and snowy conditions in far reaches of North America, places like: Alaska where oil exploration is at a high; Manitoba, Canada, where drivers were forced to travel on the thinnest ice roads the area has ever seen; and in the Yukon, where drivers crossed rivers, lakes and the Arctic Ocean to northernmost settlements for deliveries. The show will take place in Canada for its seventh season. Delores Petko said the show is far from the reality of trucking. “To me ‘Ice Road Truckers’ is not reality to real trucking they are just fighting over who is going to make the most money,” Petko posted.

“OK, yeah I agree running over water is very dangerous, but real trucking is out here. We go thru all sorts of weather. Like ice, snow, hurricanes, tornados, severe rain and stupid drivers. Their show is just ice, money and arguing. I mean it kinda makes real truckers look bad.” However, Dale Mckeigue said the struggles portrayed on “Ice Road Truckers” are pretty accurate and he should know – he’s lived it. “I have run Alaska and that show is about the closest it is to being real and true to most of real life up there. There is no room for error on ice roads,” Mckeigue said. “Some of the people up there think it’s a piece of cake ‘cause they ran all lower 48 … sorry it’s a whole new world up there and you need to learn new skills or you won’t make it.” While some might want more programs true to the industry, Todd Moge said shows like “Ice Road Truckers” need to dramatize to keep viewers tuning in. “I believe that most of it is for the sake of the camera to make it interesting,” Moge posted.

“I don't think that a show about everyday trucking would be interesting enough to keep an average person entertained for an hour.” AMERICAN TRUCKER Premiered: February 2011 AIRS: Thursdays, 10 p.m. ET / full episodes online at speedtv.com Synopsis: Truck-enthusiast Robb Mariani hosts “American Trucker,” which “takes a look at some of the most iconic machines, routes and locations that define this largely under-appreciated occupation,” according to speedtv.com. The show’s synopsis also says how demanding the profession is because of “dangerous roads, immense traffic, mindless drivers and difficult deadlines.” Most drivers on The Trucker Facebook page supported the show’s message. “‘American Trucker’ I like ‘cause he gets to travel and sees and helps other drivers and does some projects,” Mckeigue posted, adding however, “I think that no show has done an accurate job of showing this profession and how tough it really is and all the family life and troubles we encounter.” For Larry Lynn, the show turned out to be helpful to him personally. “It actually helped my wife understand better what I do,” Lynn said.

“The episode on Donner Pass was epic.” TRUCK STOP USA Network: Great American Country TV (gactv.com), reruns on Travel Channel Premiered: 2011 on Travel Channel AIRS: GACTV, reruns on Travel Channel Synopsis: The show follows Joe Bechtold, the general manager of Midway Truck Stop, his employees and the various visitors who want a sneak peak at the unique truck stop located on Interstate 70, halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City. The Midway has a variety of businesses and attractions to explore including the Under The Gun Tattoo Parlor, Fearfest Haunted Attraction (“allowing visitors to shoot live Zombies with paintballs”) and an Expo Center which hosts various events, including horse shows. While the show might give a glimpse into a unique truck stop, Jarrod Echols said it could do a better job of chatting up the truckers. “All the shows are fake,” Echols posted.

“Plus Truck Stop USA doesn’t even talk [to] or show truck drivers.” SHIPPING WARS Premiered: January 2012 AIRS: Reruns on A&E on weekends, clips on aetv.com Synopsis: “Shipping Wars” follows six independent shippers who transport items that traditional carriers shy away from – everything from a houseboat to a human-sized hamster wheel. The shippers battle to provide the lowest bid for transport from uShip, the world’s largest online marketplace for independent truckers, according to A&E’s website, aetv.com. The show is teased as “cutthroat” and this season promises “crushing loads, multiple blowouts and precariously placed items” that cause problems. However, the drama is laid on pretty thick and most truckers aren’t buying it. “There is no way that the problems those ‘Shipping Wars’ people have would enable them to stay in business,” Cooper said.

“I mean, where do you just randomly rent a truck with no warning when your van breaks down?” However, Nathan Hagen posted: “I enjoy ‘Shipping Wars’ and that's after I was involved with uShip for two years prior the actual show!” WHAT TRUCKERS WANT TO SEE: Drivers on The Trucker Facebook page said they’d like to see a little more reality in their reality TV – leave behind the drama and competition and show what it’s really like on the road, said Marcus Mayheim Hollins. “[I] would like to see more some reality shows about trucking and some movies showing how hard it is so family and friends understand why I don't feel like driving when I'm home,” Hollins posted. John Solliday, a trucker for more than 30 years, said he’d like to watch a show about the true coverage of the whole industry.

“I agree what is needed is a reality show that is based solely on what happens every day out here from dispatch to shipper to receiver to the job all-around and all the traffic, other obstacles that we deal with every day and on a moment’s notice, along with the regs [and] low pay.” Michael Sheroan posted about his desire to see a show about a truck driver “in the real world of trucking,” and The Weather Channel may just have provided it. “Loaded,” which premiered March 25 on The Weather Channel, follows three truckers – Joe Barilari, Ryan Hastie (owner of Hastie Hauling) and Brenda Banks – as they battle various weather conditions and the average hassles of living the life of a trucker, according to The Weather Channel’s website, weather.com. Pick up a printed copy of The Trucker at TA/Petro truck stops or call 800-666-2770 ext. 5029 for information about an at-home subscription. The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at aprilleh@thetrucker.com . Find more news and analysis from The Trucker, and share your thoughts, on Facebook .

Video Sponsors Address: 1123 S. University Ave. Suite 320 Little Rock, AR. 72204 Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday: Closed Ice Road Truckers (TV Series 2007– ) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error During the harsh winter of Canada's Northwest Territory, remote villages and work camps are cut off from the world. To keep them supplied, a tenacious group of long-haul truckers drive ... See full summary » Stars: The end of the line is here. The Polar drivers face the long, difficult journey back down the world's longest seasonal winter road. Lisa has to make a game-changing decision... help a competitor push... 9.7 With Darrell's new company on a roll, he calls in a surprising reinforcement, but can this new team member hack the treacherous ice roads. A brush with near disaster could cut Hugh's season short. ...

9.0 The truckers continue their look back at their experiences during the last ice road season and explain what they do now that they're off the ice. 9.0 Famous Directors: From Sundance to Prominence From Christopher Nolan to Quentin Tarantino and every Coen brother in between, many of today's most popular directors got their start at the Sundance Film Festival . Here's a list of some of the biggest names to go from Sundance to Hollywood prominence. a list of 29 titles created 03 Jun 2011 a list of 45 titles created 22 Jul 2011 a list of 25 titles created 06 Dec 2013 a list of 28 titles created 15 Apr 2014 a list of 49 titles created 26 Nov 2014 Title: Ice Road Truckers (2007– ) 6.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

See more awards » Photos Deadliest Catch (TV Series 2005) Documentary | Adventure | Reality-TV A documentary series chronicling the real-life high-sea adventures of the Alaskan crab fishermen. This is the most deadly profession in the world. Stars: Mike Rowe, Sig Hansen, Edgar Hansen Yukon Gold (TV Series 2013) Reality-TV Yukon Gold follows four gold mining crews who have only four short months in Canada's wild Yukon to earn one BIG payday. With the price of gold hovering at record-breaking levels, a modern ... See full summary » Stars: Bill Courage, Ken Foy, Guillaume Brodeur Ax Men (TV Series 2008) Documentary | Reality-TV Four logging crews in the Pacific Northwest battle the elements and poor market conditions in an attempt to make a living.

Stars: Thom Beers, Jay Browning, Jesse Browning Bering Sea Gold (TV Series 2012) Reality-TV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X Each season of the show follows a different group of dredgers, those who search for gold in shallow waters, at the bottom of the sea or even ocean. They often collect paydirt, ground from the seabed that contains some precious ore. Stars: Shawn Pomrenke, Emily Riedel, Steve Pomrenke Highway Thru Hell (TV Series 2011) Documentary See how a local heavy recovery firm works through the hard winters helping highway users that have fallen victim to the brutal road conditions. Their essential service keeps the traffic on the highways thru hell moving. Stars: Dave Pettitt, Jamie Davis, Adam Gazzola Ice Road Truckers Fan Reviews & Ratings - TV.com this show is starting to get stupid 9.0 By AlbertaNana , Jul 04, 2015 Has anyone noticed that they show the tires in one shot and they have chains on and in the next shot the chains are gone.

Or they get stuck and they say It is -40 outside but yet when they get out of the truck 99% of the time you cant see their breath,,, they say there is 4 foot snowdrifts but yet when they show them its more like a foot it that and they say No one has been on this road before so they will be breaking the trail but yet there is tired track in front them and the road is pretty packed down or they show whats in front of them and you can see trucks or the van in the shoot of them. DO YOU AGREE? 3.0 By JimCharles , Jul 22, 2013 This season of IRT is terrible. Hugh is now believing the hype that he is the road king. He is running a business with what look like poorly maintained t Half the problems one guy is having is because of the truck, not huis fault. I suppose that's all for effectrucks, and with him and Vlad out who IS maintaining the fleet? Just how many more times can we stand to hear "If the truck goes Ive also noticed what look like different loads on the trucks in long shots, the editor needs to watch what hes doing. Sorry but its ran its course.

DO YOU AGREE? 8.0 By bigdude4866067 , Aug 27, 2012 Irt is a good show but the clowns such as yemm-porkchop-are to much.They are both complete idiots.Porkchop reminds me of a imbreed-brain dead something.I would hate to see how he lives in the lower 48.I guess a pig sti would fit.Why would you put this thing on a road for in the first place.And yemm is another brain dead.I like watching the show but when I see these clowns oh well.And this jack jesse should not have any senroity he quit and came back there for he lost it all and should have to start from the bottem.Who is he on his knees for? DO YOU AGREE? Daryl is a A$$ hole 4.5 By ChrisTokers , Aug 06, 2012 Jack jessey has been working for the company for like 10 years and Daryls all pist off because Jack got the Haul back load. What a A$$ hole. So Dayrl thinks he should get the best loads and haul backs because....?

exactly dickhead. this is your first year so please explain why you should of got the haul back instead of someone whos been there for 10 years! And then when you do get a haul back because somone had a Faimly emergency you dont even care. What really shows your true colors is when you did get the haul back you said its Karma because jack stole your original haul back. Well im glad some poor guys family emergency made you happy you A$$s hole! I totaly lost all respect for you. So if Reno gets hurt and you need to go home why should anyone care? and who names there kid Reno anyways. Your a real piece of crap dude! DO YOU AGREE? it looks hard but not hard enough 5.7 By dlbig , Oct 10, 2011 it does look hard but for the money its quite good i think a few thousand dollars for a few hundred miles. it must be very scary on the ice, with it cracking and giving with every extra ton it takes. the temperture up there is just freezing in one episode it was -40 and a guy jumped out his truck in a t shirt that must of frozon him.

i just wish i could drive the road once that would be good enough for me. the don't sleep at all i need at least ten hours sleep a day haha. DO YOU AGREE? Time for a change up. Less frequency and number of episodes that appear in one day. 3.0 By MichaelHolmes2 , Aug 15, 2010 This is one of those shows that should have ended after the first season. History Channel is one of my favorites and they usually knock em out of the park with cool and interesting shows but this one bores me to death. Sorta up there with Deadliest Catch. At least if you have a fan base don't run it all day long and make the rest of us suffer. Change up your programming jeez. What is this the 3rd season? How bout a show about truckers in general having to drive through the craziest of traffic like Atlanta and the other commuters who have no respect for them and throw in some true stories of crazy accidents etc. At least you could change it up every week with different stories and cities. DO YOU AGREE?

It can be interesting for a while, but then you realize that it's an attempt catch some of Deadliest Catch's glory. 5.5 By jw2468 , Jul 30, 2010 I find it interesting that this show premiered when in did. For a while, we were stuck with ridiculous reality T.V. shows and mildly interesting documentary. But when Deadliest Catch premiered on The Discovery Channel all of that changed. The History Channel seemed desperate to capitalize on the Reality-Documentary shows that show deadly jobs. Thus we get Ice Road Truckers. Being a huge fan of Deadliest Catch, I thought this would be interesting and I gave it a try. No matter what, I just couldn't get into. Though the work is certainly dangerous, most of the show is just plain boring. Eventually something exciting happens, but afterwards we find ourselves back to the monotonous grind. Maybe this just isn't my cup o' tea, but I just can't recommend this show. DO YOU AGREE? 10 By Domunique21 , Jul 30, 2010 I've been watching this show since the first episode in season one. I find the facts so interesting.

I had never heard of such a thing as ice roads before this aired. With all the serious bull going on in my life now, I find it refreshing to watch something I don't have to concentrate to hard on. Even though it's pretty simple to follow along, this show has still captured my attention, and kept it, (which is hard to do!) The possible danger, and the fact that they allow us to see them on a semi-personal level makes the show. I watch it religously every Sunday now! Something about big burly men does it for me, lmao...... DO YOU AGREE? Interesting to watch, but need to take it with a grain of salt, as the situations are mostly staged for dramatic effect. 5.0 By denaligeezer , Jul 30, 2010 I agree with DieselCowboy. I didn't know that the people used in the Canadian part of the show had been kicked off, but two are now on the Alaska part of the show. Don't know if Hugh Roland is as big an ass as he is portrayed, hope not! Most of the situations are staged for dramatic effect.

While I will agree that it takes some Arctic Driving and Arctic Survival knowledge to drive the Dalton Hwy, it is no where near as bad as depicted. I helped build the Alaska Pipeline, and drove the Haul Road (now called the Dalton) as a teamster. I like the show because it brings back fond memories of the best job I ever had, and the best place I ever lived. But I have to laugh at some of the so called situations they dream up. Interesting yes. Reality no. DO YOU AGREE? what a load, of bull that is. history should get there facts strait, i hauled heavy equipment to the mines for 8 years. now I build and maintain the ice road. 2.0 By dieselcowboy , May 10, 2010 i would like every one to know that the drivers on this show are no longer driving the ice road to the mines because they where kicked off from to many safty and securety infractions. the ice road is what you make of it yourself if yor not prepaired and dont know what your doing you will have problems.

i have hauled loads up to 200,000lbs to diavik, bhp, and debeers mins for 8 years and never had problems being stuck on portages, my truck breaking down, feul or air lines freezing up, or goin threw the ice. i have had my share of problems dont get me wrong, i have been stranded on the ice or portages due to weather (3 times) but alwys caried 3 days minimum of food with me, candles heat packs, small propane torches and heater, large propane tiger torch and a full set of arctic clothes and boots rated to -100c. i insulated all the water lines to keep antifreeze (engine coolant) from freezing, made sure my air tanks where free of water and mosture, which was tuff cause i always hauled from edmonton alberta the climate change ranged 60 degres some times, plus uesd lots of methol alcohol in the air tanks and lines to keep them from freezing. insulated my power steering lines to keep oil flowing better and lines from breaking,lots of feul conditioner, water and degelling additive to keep feul frm gelling and freezing.

always had new tires to start out the winter and 2 high quality sets of tire chains usually custom made of 5/16 chain. had external frost filters on my air breathers to keep frost and snow out of the air fillters so the engine wouldnt starve for air. i ran a 97 w900l kenworth always kept in tip top shape which i used till 2006 on the ice road which was the worst year ever for ice thickness i was one of the last trucks out, loaded at 130,000lbs on 17 inches of ice i was stranded on a portage for 3 days because of a blowout on a lake, maintaince bridged the blowout with rig mats and froze them in so we could cross and get out, we drove 15ft away from open water (i was with 6 other trucks). now i run a grader opening the road and maintaining it, we usualy start just after christmas. we first start with profiling with a tracked amphib. vehicle with raidar tha penatrates the ice for thickness.

we start opening with snow cats and light plow trucks(16 inches of ice min to start opening) when we reach 24 inches i can use the grader, all equipment has singers (long steel poles that stick out of the sides and front rear) so that if we break through the ice they hopefuly hit the ice and distribute the weigh and keep from sinking or give us operators enuff time to jump from the cab, we also are required to wear life jackets while we are opening the road. we use pumps and water canons to flood the ice 24hrs a day only stopping for shift change, we work 12hr shifts 7 days a week for three weeks then have a week off. we fly in to camp from yellowknife nt by helocopter, i myself live in edmonton ab so i fly from edmonton to yellowknife.

we freeze the portages (little bits of land between lakes,95% of the road is on lakes its about 350 miles long) with water and snow using graders, drags and water trucks which we usualy have at least have one break trough the ice once a year but they load close to shore so waters not that deep but gives the driver a little scare but i can usualy drag them out with the grader. we open the road to trucks with half loads at 38 inches of ice full loads at 48 inches (road opend this year jan 26). its march 2nd and as of now 4000 loads cross the road and we pulled alot of trucks out of snow banks over portages and just in general broke down due to saftey (tired drivers asleep at wheel and speed) poor equipment an inexperianced drivers. now this is one of the most dangerous jobs in the word and just facts it is the longest ice road in the world. but the ice is good and thick it should be a good year. if u have any coments or questions feel free to email me kevinkoz@netzero.com or just tell me to shut up lol.

DO YOU AGREE? A little educational and a big reality series. It sure got The History Channel HUGE RATINGS I think. 10 By ocmccormick , Mar 11, 2008 Coming from The History Channel, you know it has to have some Educational, Documentary, or Informational Value to it. But this time, it isn't based on anything in the United States. This time, it is in the Fridged Canadian Northwest Territories. I did not get hooked on this series until the Second or Third Episode. I liked it especially due to the humor of Hugh and "His Gang", as well as Alex. It states that the Tradition of Making Runs over the Frozen Lakes north of Yellowknife, NT has been going since the 1930s, as large Metals Deposits were found in the Area in the Northwest Territores. It is not still going just for Metals, but now Minerals. Many Drivers Come from Around The World to take the Challenge every season, and not just foreigners come, Locals as well. Also Young Drivers, like T.J. and Jay do it. Now, that is a little information if you have not seen it just yet.

I Gave this series a 10 Out Of 10. I like watching it. I especially liked the Young Guys, as well as Hugh and Alex. Very Great Series, Great Job! DO YOU AGREE? Probably the best show on TV. 10 By animal4055 , Nov 10, 2007 I dont like reality shows. But this is a good show about semis and things I like. My favorite driver is TJ. Jay is my second favorite, but I like them all except Hugh. Hugh is nothing but a jerk. I also like how they have to take big loads to the minds in Canada. It also entertaining when they cuss back and fourth at eachother on the CB radio. Its basically a great show. I dont see how you cant like it. The only time its bad is when a truck falls throught the ice and that hasnt happened yet. So if you like trucks like me. This is a show for you. 10/10. DO YOU AGREE? I'm not a big fan of reality shows and to me there all a waste of time but once in awhile we get a show that doesn't don't follow wannabe talentless actors actresses or singers.

9.5 By D-LinkUK , Nov 10, 2007 Only two come to mind Ice Road Truckers being one and Deadliest Catch being the other. Now why do I hate all other reality shows and not the above two. Quiet simply X Factor, American Idol, Big Brother, and all the rest of these pointless programs try and make some gormless talentless no mark into an over night singing or TV show sensation with disastrous results, Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch show these men and women put there lives in danger everyday of the week just to earn a living for there family, they don't get anything easy and are not set up for life at the end of the series, they work until they either retire or illness and/or death make them stop. DO YOU AGREE? How awesome is this show!!?? 10 By v8supergirl , Nov 05, 2007 OMG what an awesome show!! Those guys need medals to do that stuff...Wish i had the guts to do that sort of stuff, what an experience it would be. Hope we get to see more of what goes on!!

Keep trucking guys, we're hope ya'll come out the other end, every time!!! Watching it gives me the chills, especially when the camera goes under the ice, to hear and see the ice cracking is scary!! Bet the drivers haven't seen that before, because i know i wouldnt be driving over it if i had lol... Hope you all make it home safe, every trip!! Regards Penny (from Australia) DO YOU AGREE? Very original, really entertaing, and always something new and exciting happening on the show. 10 By jansen0 , Sep 12, 2007 When I first saw ads on this show I basically wrote it off as a waste of time. Well one evening they were doing a marathon, so I decided to watch it for awhile. After watching an episode I was hooked. I'm not big on reality shows, but to me this was different and that's why I liked it. By the end of the season I had watched almost every episode. My friends and I still talk about this show and I can't wait to see it next season and who comes back and drives the ice road, and who doesn't. DO YOU AGREE?

Welcome to the toughest driving route in the world. 7.5 By Lokar , Sep 03, 2007 This show follows the experiences of truckers who carry the supplies needed by remote towns and businesses in western Canada. The battle is not just between driver and deadline, as it often is in 'standard' trucking, but between the driver and the very landscape itself. Watch in anxious excitement as the camera shows you the ice sheets almost breaking up under the tonnage of the transports. Listen to the drivers tell you what it's like to stay alert and healthy on this treacherous journey. Not all of the characters are likeable, but the stories are involving and rewarding. It's not so much a race only for speed. It's a challenge and an adventure. DO YOU AGREE?

‘Ice Road Truckers’ Season 9 to Premiere Sunday, August 2 & & New Series ‘Power & Ice’ to Premiere Thursday, August 27 on Hisstory – TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com HISTORY® Cranks Up the Cold This August With Season Nine of ‘Ice Road Truckers’ and New Series ‘Power & Ice’ New York, NY – July 21, 2015 – The dog days of summer have never been so cool on HISTORY® with twice the ICE this August. The hit series ICE ROAD TRUCKERS returns for season nine Sunday, August 2, at 9 PM ET/PT, followed by the thrilling new series, POWER & ICE, premiering on Thursday, August 27 at 10 PM ET/PT. Season nine of ICE ROAD TRUCKERS begins a bold new chapter with a fierce battle for supremacy on the winter roads. After two seasons of domination, Polar Industries is back to defend its place as the load count champion. But Darrell Ward is out for cold blood, and he’s starting a new trucking company with his sights set on taking down the heavyweights at Polar.

To help him achieve this, he’s out to poach Polar drivers and their loads. It’s an epic battle of David vs. Goliath, as Ward’s tiny company takes on any and all jobs, no matter how far or how dangerous, to compete. Meanwhile, Polar boss Mark Kohaykewych – aided by trucking legend Alex Debogorski, seasoned pros Todd Dewey and Art Burke and new driver Mike Simmons – refuses to take the threat lying down. Trucking legend Lisa Kelly can only swear allegiance to one company and her decision could upend the balance of power on the winter roads. By season’s end, these rivals will have to work together to move a load to one of the most remote destinations in all of North America, where even the big rigs aren’t permitted to pass – a multi-mile ice crossing over the frozen Hudson Bay! It’s a season for the ages, one that the drivers – or the viewers – won’t soon forget. POWER & ICE introduces viewers to the brave men who maintain and build the remote and rugged Alaskan power grid. The series follows three fiercely competitive line companies as they battle freezing temperatures, devastating storms and zero visibility to bring power to people whose lives depend on a constant flow of electricity.

The highly skilled employees of Alaska Line Builders, Electric Power Constructors and City Electric will compete for the life-threatening big-money jobs found only in the 49th State. These men work in a dog-eat-dog world, but they get a charge from putting their lives on the line. ICE ROAD TRUCKERS season nine is being produced by Original Productions and Prospero Media for Shaw Media/HISTORY Canada and AETN/HISTORY. Sarah Jane Flynn is Senior Director of Original Factual Content and Nick Crowe is Director of Original Factual Content for Shaw Media/History Channel Canada and in association with Original Productions. Original Productions Executive Producers include Thom Beers, Philip David Segal and Jeff Conroy and Co-Executive Producers are Sarah Whalen and Dave Freed. Prospero Media Executive Producers are Martin Katz and Karen Wookey. Executive Producer for HISTORY is Steve Ascher. POWER & ICE is produced by Tricon Films & Television for HISTORY. Tricon executive producers are Andrea Gorfolova, Jameel Bharmal, Jeffrey Hevert, Jason Cavanagh, Chase Peel and Myles Reiff. The Tricon executive in charge of production is Marc Whitehead. Zach Behr is the executive producer for HISTORY.

Share this: DriverHEALTH Driver Profile Driving on the edge “Ice Road Trucker” Alex Debogorski is tough as nails and skilled at driving a truck in the arctic wilderness, but he found the most dangerous threat lurking inside of him Professional drivers do not need a 101 course on “Ice Road Truckers,” the most-watched original telecast in the 12-year run of The History Channel.” They know from tuning in each week that “Ice Road Truckers” documents the exploits of fellow driving pros who power their big rigs along treacherous ice roads running through Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Alex Debogorski, or “the shock jock” as he is known to his legions of fans, is one of the show’s most popular personalities, and he has long been a legend among other drivers on the ice roads. With 26 years of experience driving under the most brutal conditions imaginable, Alex is always in the hunt to deliver the most loads and earn the big money. Alex is human, though, and he had to withdraw from the series last season due to heart arrhythmia and pulmonary embolisms.

It took determination and months of recovery for Alex to get back on his feet, and he took time out of his busy schedule to talk candidly with Driver HEALTH about his illness, his dramatic hospitalization and his journey toward wellness. Alex also has words of encouragement for other drivers who want to lose weight, eat right and improve their heart health: So how did you first get into trucking? You’ve been at it 26 years. In 1973, I was 19 and worked at a tire store, and a fellow came in looking for a truck driver. He asked me if I’d driven a truck, and I told him I’d driven them on the farm and thought I could do it, but I didn’t have a license.” He said, “Good enough,” and off we went. I never had plans to become a truck driver, but I needed a job – a better job than I had, anyway – and I had a wife and a child. One thing led to another and soon I started running heavy equipment. How did you make the move to ice road trucking?

In 1976, my wife and I decided I needed to get another job, so we ended up in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory of Canada. In the north there are mines and explorations in the middle of nowhere, and there’s not much of an infrastructure. In the wintertime, it’s hard to reach areas that are inaccessible. The water freezes, the lakes freeze, the rivers freeze, and all of a sudden people are looking for the most efficient way to get parts, equipment and building supplies into these communities. We try to haul as much freight as we can by truck, and if somebody wants to do the driving, there’s quite a bit of opportunity. And you use the ice roads. I figure it’s better than hauling on a regular basis. Make the payments and buy the groceries – those are my incentives to go to work. People say we make a lot of money in the north, and that’s true, but our costs are very high. Someone says we should be filthy rich, and I say, well, I got a lot of costs, and my electricity and water are expensive.

He says that his water and electricity are $100 month, and I say mine is $1,000 Canadian a month. That’s a huge difference. And ice road trucking isn’t for the novice driver, is it? Well, we were all novices once. I try to be professional. I’m always concerned with my equipment and the company’s equipment – I might even be more concerned with something belonging to someone else. And the big thing is safety. I’ve never had a major catastrophe. My family wants me back in one piece. How were you chosen to be a part of “Ice Road Truckers”? The ice road truckers have been romanticized all over the world. We’ve had many camera crews here. National Geographic has been up here, people from Germany, people from England, folks from Japan – and they film enough for a one-hour program to take back to their various countries. The History Channel had one that aired on a regular basis. They found that people were interested, and they thought they could make a longer show, so they sent a film crew up here and made a deal with a trucking company that would allow them to film. They interviewed numerous people and were looking for characters.

People would say, “If you’re looking for characters, you should meet Alex Debogorski. He’s a bona fide character.” The film crews came looking for interesting people, and I was one of the drivers who agreed to be part of the show. My rationale was that I have a large family and I have nine grandkids. (I wouldn’t mind having 91 more.) It would be nice, when I’m dead, for them to watch Grandpa in reruns! Driving in arctic conditions must be hard enough without having a camera in your face all day long. What’s that like? Truck drivers like being by themselves for long periods of time, and having cameras on us all day long does make a difference. If I didn’t want to do it, I guess I could quit. It seems to be working for me, though. And many touching opportunities arise because of our work on “Ice Road Truckers.” We just attended a picnic sponsored by a group called The Candlelighters. These are people with children who passed away from cancer or have survived cancer. I even had a chance to be a part of the big parade, and they let me drive the big 80,000-lb.

tow truck. One of the wish kids and his father rode along with me. When did you first realize you were facing some health issues? I was in my 30s, and a lady doctor found out I had a heart murmur. I burst out laughing at the time, because nobody had ever found anything physically wrong with me. Then 12 years later I went in – this was probably in 2000 – and when they checked my heart out they saw something wrong. They said my heart had a hole in it, but that’s not that uncommon. They did an angiogram and found out I had more blood flowing outward than inward – a valve wasn’t working properly. A specialist said if I’d waited two years, I would’ve needed a heart transplant. Anyway, they patched my valve. And what led to the medevac flight last year that ended your season early? When I had my heart valve replaced, they also discovered that I was hypothyroid, so I began taking medication for it. In the cold weather, I developed a rash across my chest and shoulders that itched and drove me batty. I found out it was a side effect of my condition.

I read up on it and learned that a higher dose of the thyroid medication might help. My doctor said OK, but somehow we never talked about dosage. When I was up north during the second season of the show, my heart rate was up to 135 and I was pretty dire. My heartbeat was irregular, and my body was putting blood clots in my lungs – one in each lung. I stuck with work about a month, but then I started coughing up blood. I don’t know whether you saw the episode, but they medevac’d me from Inuvik to Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife. The problem was I’d been taking an extra whole pill of the thyroid medication, and they figured I should have just taken a quarter of a pill more. I was in the hospital about 10 days. They took me off the thyroid meds completely and I got sicker. It took me two months to get the numbers right. That experience would scare anyone. How has it changed your lifestyle? The doctors never really pushed me. I’m drinking more water now, because they claim it keeps your blood thinner, and eating more greens and fruit. I eat smaller portions, too. I don’t smoke anymore, and I don’t chew.

Quitting them was hard, and it took me a lot of prayer and effort. I’m thinking about healthy things now like exercising and finding the right scenario to do it on a regular basis. Maybe I’ll be like my wife and go to a place like Curves (a worldwide fitness franchise) and get addicted to it. She’s lost I don’t know how many pounds. I’m reading a book that says if you have one glass of red wine a day, that’s good for you, but if you have two glasses, it negates the benefits of the first glass. So I usually only have one glass of wine. My oldest child is 38 years old, and he works out. I have another child who lifts weights scientifically, and he actually introduced me to it a few months ago. I need to spend more time with the weights so I can learn which ones to use. I take it easier and I don’t worry as much – I give things more moccasin time, y’know, Indian feet…time doesn’t matter much to them. You wake up in the morning and the wind and snow are blowing and you don’t worry about it. You go back to bed and do something else.

When the wind, the rain or the snow stops, you go and do it. You get the job done without getting stressed out about things that aren’t life-threatening. Any words of encouragement for other drivers who are interested in improving their heart health? Oh yeah, I’ve got lots of free advice. The number one thing: look in the mirror and decide whether you have a problem. If you have a problem, you have to take ownership of it. Maybe a guy needs to buy a scale and read some simple stuff to help take care of himself. It’s good to talk with other people who are trying to improve their health situation. And then go to a naturopath or take the advice of a doctor. Read the literature. If you’re overweight, you might as well start reading about diabetes because if you aren’t diabetic already, you will be in the next five or 10 years if you don’t change your ways. Fix it before it breaks. Think about taking little steps. Don’t drink soda, not even diet soda, because it has its problems. Drink water. Take a little more time to chew your food. They claim you should eat a small portion and wait 20 minutes to see if you’re still hungry.

I started eating salad, a great big salad with a little chicken mixed in. It was like a meal. At first, I had to force myself to eat a salad, but then I started to look forward to it. The other thing is to be sure you get enough sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, you can’t lose weight. Will your fans get to watch you again in season four of “Ice Road Truckers”? That’s up to the History Channel. I think they had pretty good ratings this past season. They’ll start talking with us some time in November. They won’t start filming until the ice is good and hard, so that’s probably going to be in January or February. Returning: Outback Truckers, Ice Road Truckers – TV Tonight Returning: Outback Truckers, Ice Road Truckers April 20th, 2016 By David Knox Make a comment Filed under: Programming , Two factual titles, Outback Truckers and Ice Road Truckers return to 7mate next month. The Outback Truckers are all revved up for a brand new season!

Airing 8.30pm Tuesdays from May 10, catch the big characters on this Aussie-made series as they take on the harshest terrain our country has to offer. Steve Grahame gets a double dose of bad on a brutal lap through the red centre; desert trucker Barnesy heads way off the grid on a desperate rescue mission; and Turbo is back, battling to get his business out of a rut. Tempers flare as temperatures plunge to minus 55 when Ice Road Truckers returns on Tuesday, May 10 at 9.30pm. Jack almost has a near head-on collision and Hugh gets an earful from an American driver who wants Hugh off the Alaskan roads and back in Canada. Meanwhile, Alex takes a big risk by picking up a hitchhiker, Ray takes on the steep and treacherous Atigun Pass, where he’s already spun out twice this year, and Lisa has her hands full just trying to get back on the road after getting caught at the scales.

Question: In which country does the factual series Ice Road Truckers take place?
Answer: CANADA